This section contains general relevant background content, which is not necessarily prior art.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be seated rear-facing in their car-seats until age 2 or until exceeding the height or weight limits of the car-seat (some of which can accommodate high limits). Some US states are presently reflecting this policy in new legislation, although the predominant rule still currently remains age 1 or 20 lbs. While the optimal point to switch-over is of course debatable, many people advocate for staying rear-facing for as long as possible; as this view becomes more prevalent (and even compulsory, for better or worse), there is value in easing any burdens associated with parental compliance.
Rear-faced child seating often presents a problem of limited legroom, especially for many children of above-average height or growth rate. Certain rear-facing-capable car seats (not to be confused with the car's own seating) offer design features that can mitigate this problem (e.g. shell height, seat depth, recline, etc.), allowing higher height and weight limits. Vehicle-focused approaches involve modifications to the seat in which the safety seat resides—such as making the backrest foldable over flatly on top of the seat portion to enable then placing the carseat thereupon, or having the carseat sit further forward on the seat portion and then having it be supported with a stabilizing member extending down to the car's floor (not common in the US). Simply moving or removing a backrest, or any severable portion thereof, might also be an option—though this could be suboptimal in many cases.
Some existing approaches do have utility, yet there remains an unsolved need for new solutions—as others have failed to sufficiently facilitate extended rear-facing (ERF). Research shows that many parents (up to 70%, in one recent study) still continue to turn their children's carseats to be forward-facing long before the recommended time, and this can be attributed in significant part to inadequate legroom.